The Rest of the Story...

After our weekend in Kyoto, we stayed in the Tokyo area for the rest of my parents' visit. Here are some more pictures from their visit:

On Wednesday (the Vernal Equinox holiday; yup that's right, a day off for the first day of spring), we explored the Ueno neighborhood of Tokyo. This is a lively area that was fun for the whole family. We started out looking around the motorcycle shop area for my dad. Then we headed to Ueno Park to sample some Japanese street-vendor food, see a temple, and watch people pedal swan-shaped boats around the lake. Although, the cherry blossoms haven't really started to bloom yet, we did find three trees in bloom among the more than 1,000 cherry trees in Ueno Park.

On Friday and Saturday, the 'rents headed off to Yokohama and Kamakura to explore on their own while I worked. On Sunday, we spent the day wandering around the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo. This area is known for its massive red lantern hanging at the gates to the Senso-ji Temple. The street leading leading to the temple is filled with little shops to explore as you walk. This is area is also known for the Asahi Brewing Co. building (they make beer and assorted beverages). The building on the left is supposed to represent a mug of beer, and "the flaming ornament" on the right-hand building (the Asahi Super Dry Hall) represents Asahi Brewing's dynamic heart.

Lastly, we headed to Mt. Takao near Hachioji for a little nature and hiking this past Monday. This is a park area with a temple (yup, there are lots of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in this country), a monkey zoo, and some great trails and views. Mom and Dad even chatted up Kitty (as she is called here), while she popped them some popcorn.

Finally, Mom and Dad ended their trip with a little farewell party at my apartment with the Bruces. All in all, I think it was a successful trip/visit. Now, I have T-minus ten days before the Carman-Frank family invades Japan. :)

Kyoto

Sorry for my brief sabbatical from blogland. My parents came to visit me for the last ten days, so they have been keeping me busy when I am not at work.

After a day of recovery from their transpacific flight, the three of us headed down to Kyoto, the ancient capitol of Japan. Although it was chilly there, that didn't effect our sightseeing too much. Here are some photos from our weekend.

This is Mt. Fuji from the shinkansen (high-speed, bullet train) that we took from Tokyo to Kyoto. Luckily, it is spring now, so the view of Mt. Fuji was perfect. This is honestly the first time I have seen Mt. Fuji since moving to Japan seven months ago. Whenever I think to look for it in the Tokyo area, it usually ends up being overcast, cloudy, or hazy.

There was a lantern walk during our first night in Kyoto. It was near the Gion area of Kyoto, and they had lanterns and illuminated flower arrangements along a temple/shrine-lined street. This is a picture of the illuminated entrance gate to Chion-in Temple. It is the largest temple gate in Japan.

Kikaku-ji Temple. There's not much more to be said about this temple. It is covered in gold-leafing and is absolutely beautiful. It was originally built as a retirement villa in 1739 by a former shogun and later converted into a Zen temple. It was burned down by a mentally-disturbed monk in 1950 and rebuilt after that. It houses Buddhist religious artifacts (we weren't able to go in though).

Longing for Anonymity

Sometimes I wish I could blend in better over here, like tonight on the train home for example. I find myself the target of drunken salarymen and weirdos on the train, because I stand out (hey, I'm 5'9" and light haired). I really don't mind the occasional conversation with someone wanting to practice their English (for example, the nice man at the dry cleaners the other day), but I am sick of the people who rudely invade my personal space. For example, there was a drunken salaryman on the train tonight that kept saying "you speak English, you must be Russian" to me (in Japanese of course). It makes me feel uncomfortable, because even though I try to politely ignore them, they often get increasingly pushy and make me look like I am being totally rude. Not to mention, it makes the others around me uncomfortable (my two co-workers tonight for example). I know I signed on for this in a sense when I moved over here, but sometimes, it frustrates me.

But, there are also positives to being here. Here is a picture of the skyscrapers from the 45th floor observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Are you ready for this Mom and Dad? This is what you will be seeing in a few short days when we go to Shinjuku.

And finally, a little piece of home that I stumbled across the other day. Here's a picture of the new Schwinn Madison frame set. I know it is named after the track event, but it made me smile when I was totally frustrated trying to the travel agency on Monday (found a bike shop instead though). :)

Fixed

The photos of the lions from the Chinese New Year celebration in Yokohama should be fixed now.

Domo Arigato Mr. Doctor

Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog this week. I am still battling my cold. I finally admitted defeat and went to the doctor this past Wednesday. Partly, because I know I can't be sick when my parents arrive next Friday. Below is the magic combo that is healing me (one for my nose, two for my throat, and one for my cough, and all in Japanese).

My trip to the doctor was interesting. Even though I am in a rich, developed country, some facilities here cause me to wonder if I wasn't teleported somewhere else in my sleep. The hospital was one such example.

I asked one of the Japanese teachers to take me to the doctor and help translate. We went to the hospital that was next to the train station (tucked in between an arcade and an comic/Internet cafe); they had a walk-in clinic at the hospital. The place was old and had a definite state-owned/cold-war feel to it, with the exception of the large, flatscreen television mounted on the wall in the waiting area (it reminded me of UHS at the UW). The nurses all wore pink uniforms that looked like the nurse uniforms from 40 years ago paired with strappy dress sandals and little white socks. The motions of the appointment itself were pretty similar to an appointment in the States, but everything was conducted in Japanese (with some translation). After two hours, I learned that I was going to live and just had a really bad cold. The doctor gave a lengthy explanation of my x-rays and condition, that was reduced to "your lungs are fine, you have a bad cold, and you will take medicine" after translation.

The most amazing part of the visit was the bill though! My total bill was $140 (for the visit, 2 chest x-rays, and four medications). And this was 200% of what a Japanese person would have been charged, since I am not part of the Japanese social insurance system. I'm sure an equivalent visit in the US would have been nearing $300, easily. Why does health care in America cost so much?

On a brighter note, here is a little bit of Wisconsin in Tokyo. For all of you wondering what my weather is like over here, it is starting to warm up and turn to spring. :) I found some tulips in Shibuya the other day. They made me think of the tulips around the Capitol.